Mumbai, March 6 The Deputy Commissioner of State Tax (GST) and a private individual were arrested on Friday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh in Nashik, a Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau official said.
He identified the arrested individuals as Deputy Commissioner of State Tax (GST) Somnath Dattu Paage (47) and private individual Amit Hiraman Jadhav (36). Machhindra Vitthal Donde (55), Assistant Commissioner of State Tax (GST), is currently on the run, he added.
"Paage and Donde had conducted a raid at the complainant's office in Nashik and allegedly demanded Rs 1.25 crore to avoid action under GST provisions. The amount was later negotiated down to Rs 1 crore. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB office in Mumbai and filed a complaint on Sunday," he said.
Based on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap at the complainant's office in Nashik and caught Jadhav red-handed while accepting Rs 20 lakh as the first installment of the bribe, the official said.
"A search at Paage's office led to the seizure of Rs 2 lakh in cash and mobile phones. The two have been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act," he said.